It took us a while to get to Big Smile, Greer’s long-awaited debut album. After four years and two EPs, the foursome behind Greer was feeling burnt and disconnected from the songs they’d written and toured. They went their separate ways for more than a year, retreating to their Southern California homes to decompress. When they reconvened in 2023, they went back to where it all started: drummer Lucas Ovalle’s garage. It was in this familiar environment that Ovalle, guitarist lead singer Josiah, guitarist Corbin Jacques, and bassist Seth Thomson learned how to be friends again and shared all the anxieties and revelations they’d endured on hiatus through crafting songs.

Those garage sessions turned out to be wildly productive. Between writing new songs, unearthing old drafts, and demoing them all, they entered the recording studio with over 200 songs written. The 13 that make up Big Smile are the band’s emotional champions that track the tumultuous period between the start of their break and the peace they found on their way back to each other.